Jesus was a refugee

Jesus and his parents were Middle Eastern refugees. The nativity scene, after all, depicts a Middle Eastern family who were looking for a place to stay, only to be told there was no room for them. Then, Matthew tells us that after his birth, Mary and Joseph fled with the baby Jesus to Egypt… as refugees fleeing from violence. The irony of Christians rejecting refugees right before we put up the Christmas decorations is hard to miss, even for those who often do miss the irony of their faith and political positions.

Second, Jesus offers a sobering description of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25 that directly speaks to the issue of welcoming the refugee.

‘Love thy neighbour’ is a teaching of Jesus that most people would have heard of, the idea of showing hospitality to strangers is a teaching of Jesus so I wonder how Christian countries will reconcile their rejection of Syrian refugees and the teachings of Jesus.